EPoX 3SPA3 I815EP socket 370
Tuesday, 6 March, 2001
Introduction
It seems that the saga of the chipset will never end, and numerous motherboards based on the many versions of the i815 chipset have continued to pour into the market. EPoX, for its part, recently presented us with their latest construct: a Socket 370 board based on the Intel 815EP chipset. Lately, we've noted that EPoX has become more and more aggressive in the motherboard market, especially with the advent of the 8KTA3 - a board seemingly designed from the ground up with Overclocker's in mind. Will the EPoX 3SPA3 continue in this trend? Let's take a look and find out.
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Characteristics of the EPox 3SPA3
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CPU
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Intel(R) Pentium(R) III (FC-PGA) / CeleronTM Processor
500MHz~1GHz or faster processor
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Chipset
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Intel(R) 815EP chipset. (544 BGA)+ Intel(R) ICH2 chipset. (241 BGA)
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Form factor
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ATX - 30.5cm X 20.5cm
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Expansion
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5 PCI - 0 ISA - 1 CNR - 1 AGP - 4 USB
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Memory
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3X 168-pins DIMM SDRAM 512Mb PC133
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FSB
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66Mhz to 166Mhz in 1Mhz increment in the BIOS.
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Vcore adj.
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1.65V - 1.95V in 0.05V steps
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Vio adj.
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3.45V - 3.65V in 0.05V steps
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Audio chipset
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embeded into the chipset
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Configuration
Configuration of the CPU is accomplished in part through the jumper labeled JP5 - which can be used to set the FSB to 66Mhz, 100Mhz or 133Mhz - and from within BIOS.
Much like with the EPoX 8KAT3 that we reviewed recently, the 3SPA3 comes with a great number of Overclocking functions.
First up, we have the much expected ability to alter the FSB frequency. In this case, user's can select frequencies ranging from 66Mhz to 166Mhz in steps of 1Mhz.
The clock multiplier can also be set to between 3X and 8X.
The processor's Vcore, and Vio voltages can also be adjusted, as indicated i the table below.
Finally, the 3SPA3 comes with an independant memory bus that can be set to operate at 100MHz, 133MHz, or can be left on Auto, at which point the system determines the proper operating speed according to the memory installed.
In short, when it comes to Overclocking, the 3SPA3 comes with just about all the same, much-loved tricks as its older sibling - the 8KTA3.
Next: Technical details.
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